Macie Jane

After 20 weeks of eager anticipation we finally found out we are having a sweet baby GIRL! 

The cottage is about to get a little more girlie and that North Carolina blue room is about to turn a lovely shade of ballerina pink. 

I can't wait! 

 We wanted to do something fun to share the gender of the baby with our family living close by. The idea of a cake reveal was suggested and we thought it would be perfect! After our appointment on Monday, I made a cake but used food coloring to turn the inside of the cake pink and then frosted the outside with vanilla. When everyone arrived Joshua cut the cake to reveal the pink and share with everyone that we are expecting a little girl! The reactions were priceless! My sweet husband and his father are the only two men in our immediate family. Little Macie will be an addition to the already bubbling-over brood of women in their lives! Needless to say, they will be a perfect daddy and granddaddy to Macie because they know all about girls! All of us women are already dreaming up sparkles and tutus, monograms and cupcake celebrations! We are all so very excited to meet this precious baby girl and thank the Lord for His goodness to give her to us!

We love you, little Macie Jane! 

Outdoor Living

The weather is slowly changing from the hot South Carolina Summer to a crisp, cool Fall. Of all the seasons, Fall is definitely my favorite. I've always loved the colors and smells of Fall. It seems so many good things come with the Fall. I love pumpkins and mums, warm coffee on a cool morning and gray october days. (My birthday also happens to come in October- so that doesn't hurt either.) One of our favorite parts about Fall is the return of comfortable weather! After the hot, hot Summer it finally feels great to walk outside and not melt!

During the Summer Joshua and I talked about our outdoor space and began dreaming up what we could do to utilize it best. We both love to sit on the porch, sip coffee, and visit. Our only problem with the cottage is that we don't have furniture for outside! Joshua, as usual, came up with a brilliant plan. He had a great idea to cover the deck so that we can enjoy being outside even on a rainy day- which actually happens to be our most favorite!

On Sunday afternoon Joshua suggested we go to Lowes to get a few things he would need for my birthday present. Of course, I was excited but a little intrigued as well! He told me that for my birthday he was thinking of working on our deck space. I was thrilled! I happened upon a website connected to Pinterest with a great idea for DIY deck furniture along with corresponding building plans. I showed it to him and sweetly, he agreed that we could do it. So, off to Lowes we went and around $50 later we were headed home with all the lumber supplies we needed to build sectional seating for our deck. Our plan is to put two seats together for a 'couch' and then one seat independent.

 Admittedly, following Pinterest directions does have its pitfalls but all in all they came out great! I doesn't hurt that there are few things my man can't do. When the building plans didn't make sense he improvised and came up with perfect solutions. The chairs look great! I am so excited to put them to good use!

We have lots of supplies for making s'mores so if you're in the country and want to stop by you are so welcome to come and enjoy a perfect Fall treat out on the deck with us!

(that includes those of you related to us who live just down the road) 

Power of Power Washing

One joy of living in the country is getting to delight in the outdoors. Unfortunately, we have not taken advantage of our outdoor living space this summer. We plan to change that this Fall. The deck left much to be desired and for a while J and I thought maybe we would need to rebuild parts or all of it. However, on Saturday Joshua used a power washer to clean up the deck and we were pleasantly surprised to see how it turned out! We almost couldn't believe it! With a little elbow grease the deck looks fantastic! Now we're on the hunt for inexpensive outdoor furniture to make the deck inviting and cozy.

6:50am SPIDER!

Two Tiny Feet...

are coming to the cottage in the country! :) 

 We are so excited to finally announce that we are expecting our first sweet baby! We are thrilled beyond measure! God graciously answered our prayer and gave us our sweet baby in His perfect timing. We had been praying for this sweet one for a few months and began to pray together and specifically for the last few months. We were overwhelmed with joy and gratitude when we found out a few days after our anniversary back in June that we were going to be parents! God is good. He was faithful through times of discouragement as we waited and continues to be as we anticipate all that being new parents will call us to. Truly, He is good all-the-time!

Here is a first look at our sweet butter bean! We are so in love already! 

Thank you, Lord, for this precious gift!

This first few weeks have definitely been a new experience for us. We have had the joy of experiencing nausea so needless to say my high hopes of crafting the summer away haven't come to fruition. We've had a few improvements around our cottage and anticipate more with the coming second trimester and cooler fall weather. Stay tuned! Exciting things happening out here in the cottage in the country! :) 

Man Cave Construction

My sweet man has been so patient with me throughout the last year. One big adjustment he has had as we moved into the apartment and then into our cottage was a lack of a desk. The poor guy tries to organize our bills and his various projects on our dining table and then I come along and try to 'tidy' up. He gets it all spread out and organized and I come along and make one nice, neat pile of it all. You can just imagine the hilarity of the situation day after day. Thankfully, with a little help and creative thinking from Beverly we have come up with a long term solution!

There is a good sized little nook in our den that has gone pretty much untouched for the last few months. Overtime and regardless of who lives in the cottage that space will be difficult to utilize. The idea of built-in bookshelves and a desk was perfect! J being the brilliant carpenter that he is built a lovely desk area that we now lovingly refer to as 'the man cave.' He has this theory that I have taken over the whole house- decorating or making it 'fluffy' and he's probably right- he usually is. So we are thankful that he finally has a little home to organize his projects and man stuff. I made a promise not to "organize" his things too much anymore.

11:30 am Soaking a Little Morning Sunshine